Sir Alex Ferguson met Guardiola, 43, in New York during the Spaniard's year-long sabbatical from football after leaving Barcelona, with the progressive-thinking young coach seen as the ideal successor to the former United boss.

Instead, Ferguson chose Moyes, 50, as his successor , a move that has looked a backward step this season with United enduring their worst Premier League campaign, their only respite coming in Europe.

With 17 tropies in six years as a manager, including two Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles, Guardiola's status as Europe's most exciting and successful young managers is assured.

Contrast that with Moyes, who has won no major trophies and turned United from champions into also-rans in his first season, in seventh spot in the Premier League, 17 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Against such damning form, it is difficult share Moyes' belief that he will be going head-to-head against Guardiola in Europe on a regular basis in the years to come.

"I'm really looking forward to coming up against him," said Moyes of tonight's meeting with Guardiola.

"It will be the first time I've done so, but I've no doubt I'll be doing it plenty of times in the future.

"He's done incredibly well in the job's he's been in. He's had a year to get himself ready for the Bayern job as well, which I think has helped him.

"He's taken over a really good side, a side that were already the European champions, but his record up to now has been very, very good."

Despite the nightmare first season he has endured, Moyes insisted he was in for the long-haul at United and said he and his players were ready for the "ultimate test" against Guardiola and his rampant Bayern side, who have dropped just six points all season.

"This is a really good competition and it's been really good for us so far," said Moyes.

"I came into it as a really inexperienced manager in the Champions League, but we've done well and now we have the ultimate test in Bayern.

"I think the pressure is equally balanced. We want to win the game as much as Bayern and we go into it knowing that, on our day, we're as good a side as any. We don't show it often enough, but I have great belief in the players.

"We want to make sure we play well. We want to keep improving. We've had little signs recently and we've had good results. We want to build on that.

"We're playing against a good side, but these are the sort of nights United have risen to in their history and we want to do that.

"We know we have to get a good result to take to Germany and we'll try to do that. It's an obvious thing to say, but it's a two-legged game and we have to make sure the two legs are important."

Moyes faces a defensive crisis tonight, with first-choice left-back Patrice Evra ruled out through suspension and Rafael, who did not train yesterday, struggling to be fit.

Although Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling took part in training yesterday, the former has not played for two months and the latter for nearly four weeks, so neither is likely to figure.